William Knelsen As I wait in hope for the Lord.

This discipline is a massive kick in the ass of Western Civilization. I will quote from several places in Richard J. Foster’s chapter on Simplicity:

Simplicity is freedom… simplicity brings joy and balance…

Contemporary culture lacks both the inward reality and the outward life-style of simplicity… We are trapped in a maze of competing attachments…

We crave things we neither need or enjoy… The mass media have convinced us that to be out of step with fashion is to be out of step with reality…

Covetousness we call ambition. Hoarding we call prudence. Greed we call industry.

I am surely not the best person to be telling others to live a more simplistic life, and that is not at all my intention. This discipline is most definitely one I struggle with most. I do not blame my career or the culture I live in, rather I tend to use those things as excuses for a lack of discipline in this area. I enjoy owning the latest in computer technology and knowing all there is to know about the Web industry. I don’t think those things are negative, however, if my time is only dedicated to these things for the purpose of making my own life better and easier, I have missed the point of hard work.

God has given us gifts, and all of us are capable of using those gifts to fill our lives with more stuff. However, God intends for those gifts to be used for helping others and bringing glory to God.

May God give you-and me-the courage, the wisdom, the strength always to hold the kingdom of God as the number-one priority of our lives. To do so is to live in simplicity

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline

As Richard J. Foster writes in his book, Celebration of Discipline, study involves four steps:

1. Repetition.
   Ingrained habits of thought can be formed by repetition alone, thus changing behavior.
2. Concentration.
   The brains natural ability to store and focus on information is enhanced when, with singleness of purpose, we center our attention upon a desired object of study.
3. Comprehension.
   When we not only repeatedly focus the mind in a particular direction centering our attention of the subject, but understand what we are studying, we reach a new level.
4. Reflection.
   In reflection we come to understand not only our subject matter, but ourselves.

One other thing that is important when practicing the discipline of study is humility. In order to make good and proper use of knowledge, I must approach the subject with a humble spirit. I cannot be teachable and arrogant at the same time.

It is sobering to realize that the very first statement Jesus made about fasting dealt with the question of motive (Matt. 6:16-18). To use good things to our own ends is always the sign of false religion. How easy it is to take something like fasting and try to use it to get God to do what we want.

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline

When I first took a serious look at the discipline of fasting, I never really thought of it as something necessary for me to practice. However, I decided to do it anyway. I started off fasting for about a day and a half. Then, I fasted for 24 hours once every week for about 10 weeks. What a wonderful experience it was.

During the times that I would have normally been eating, I spent that time alone, meditating or in prayer. God, through His word, revealed to me things that I needed to change in my life.

I think my time of fasting was most effective because I did it out of obedience, rather than to get something from God. I noticed after a few weeks I started to expect God to reveal new things to me, and when he wasn’t, I was going to quit. However, I realized that the purpose of fasting is not necessarily so that God will reveal new things to me, rather it is a time devoted to God in response to recognizing His provision in my life. Foster also notes:

Fasting must forever center on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained. Like the prophetess Anna, we need to be “worshiping with fasting” (Luke 2:37). Every other purpose must be subservient to God.

We need not worry that [prayer] will take up too much of our time, for “It takes up no time, but it occupies all our time.” It is not prayer in addition to work but prayer simultaneous with work. We precede, enfold, and follow all our work with prayer.

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline

I agree 100% with the statement above, however, I still consider it to be of great value to take time, just as Jesus did during his time on earth, to spend in prayer. What Foster is pointing out here is that prayer is not something that should be done only during a dedicated time, rather it should be something we do during our daily tasks so that we may constantly be aware of God’s presence.

Spending dedicated time in prayer, just as with meditation, is part of a healthy Christian life, but more importantly is our call to be in constant communion with God throughout our daily lives.

Christian meditation, very simply, is the ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word.

Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline, Chapter 2

Meditation is a discipline that many Christians don’t understand, or have an incorrect understanding of. The meditation talked about in popular culture involves clearing your mind and releasing negative energy. It is often associated with Yoga and other physical disciplines. There is often an emphasis on becoming part of a universal spirituality that everyone practices in their own unique way.

Christian meditation has a very different purpose from other forms of meditation. The goal is to become united with God, filling our mind, heart and spirit with God’s love, peace, joy and hope. Christian meditation can include focusing on scripture, a song or a prayer.

Hearing God’s voice is often misunderstood as well. Up until a few years ago, I always thought that hearing God’s voice was something only the super-spiritual Christians could do, as though it was a gift or a skill that came with time. I now realize that hearing God’s voice is something we, as believers, must be doing all the time. God speaks through countless things, such as family, friends, scripture, nature, pain (especially pain), sorrow, prayers, songs… the list goes on.

Obeying God’s word can be thought of as an active meditation. Sitting and meditating on God’s word is only one part. Meditation is not at all useful if I get up from my meditation and go right on neglecting the presence of God in my life. Active meditation through obedience is the point of meditation in the first place. We meditate on God’s word so that we will hear it, believe it, understand it and obey it.

One of my favorite books on the topic of Christian discipline is the book by Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline. It is an extremely challenging book, but at the same time it opened my eyes to new ways of practicing what Foster lists as the 12 disciplines of the Christian Faith.

Foster, in Chapter One, states, “Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant satisfaction is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people.”

He goes on… “Joy is the keynote of all the Disciplines. The purpose of the Disciplines is liberation from the stifling slavery to self-interest and fear.”

Over the next couple weeks I will be writing about these 12 disciplines and how they are a struggle to practice, and how rewarding they are when practiced.